Frederick J. Booth

Frederick J. Booth, Ph.D., formerly of Harrington Park, died on Sunday, March 1, 2026 at his home in New Brunswick. He was 75.

Fred was born in the Bronx on July 26, 1950, the older child of Marion Pearce and Arthur Booth. He was graduated from Northern Valley Regional High School-Old Tappan and from Rutgers University, where he earned his doctoral degree in Classics in 1983. In 1984, he married Ann F. Kiernan, an attorney, who survives him.

Fred had a long and distinguished career as a master teacher of Latin, mythology, and other Classics subjects. He taught at Rutgers, New York University and Seton Hall University for a combined total of 46 years, retiring from Seton Hall in 2020. At Seton Hall, he served as Chair of the Classical Studies Department and later as Chair of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Fred was also a member of Seton Hall’s Honors faculty, where he taught the Colloquium on Classical Civilizations.

In addition, Fred served his profession as a leader in local, regional, and international Classics organizations. He was President of the New Jersey Classical Association, the Classical Association of the Atlantic States, and of the American Association for Neo-Latin Studies. His book, Nicolaus Hussovianus, The Song of the Bison, published in 2019, is the subject of a video installation at an exhibition in Venice scheduled to open in May, 2026.

In 1993, Fred started a Latin and Greek reading group at his students’ request. For more than 30 years--from 1993 through the end of 2025--the group met at the Booth/Kiernan dining room table on Friday afternoons to read Greek and Latin literature and then dine together. During that time the group, whose membership varied over the years, covered Vergil, Homer, Ovid, Horace, the Greek tragedians, and many more ancient authors. Two members of the group met at that table, married, and now have three children!

Not only was Fred fiercely intellectual, but he was also known as a generous and loyal friend. He was witty and insightful, a prolific reader, and a lifelong fan of Bob Dylan and monster movies.

In addition to his wife, Fred is survived by his sister Linda Booth, of Englewood. He also leaves behind many friends and thousands of former students.

in lieu of flowers, Ann and Linda ask that you donate to Elijah’s Promise.